Forecasts for this summer’s wildfire season predict much of the state will experience normal wildfire risk, but northwest Montana could experience higher than usual wildfire activity.
The northern Idaho panhandle and far northwest Montana could experience above-normal wildfire risk starting in July, according to the Northern Rockies Coordination Center.
“There’s a portion of northwest Montana and north Idaho, which went into drought last summer, and over the winter they didn’t do particularly well with moisture,” meteorologist Dan Borsum said.
Borsum said a warm spring is also melting off that limited snowpack quickly. Wildfire risk is expected to expand across the northwest corner of the state in August and September, but Borsum said that could change depending on moisture levels throughout the summer.
However, most of Washington state is expected to experience above-normal fire activity starting next month, which could blow smoke across Montana.
